Birthday Baptism

This week was pretty awesome!

On Tuesday I had my birthday. (On Monday I bought a birthday tie) I first went to Ocotal for a Zone meeting and then when we got back around 4pm we went to go to Ramon's baptism! We finally had good weather, so we could baptize him. It was cool to have a baptism on my birthday! Then after the baptism we went to my first birthday dinner of Rabbit with fried tortillas and beans! It was really tasty. (It's funny because I was playing with that rabbit the week before!) Then we went to my second birthday dinner. Where after eating, they egged me. (A tradition in Central America) It was a good birthday!

On Wednesday was the first day in the mission where I felt like I needed a jacket. It was raining all day and super windy. It probably only got to like 60, but I was really cold all day!

On Sunday we went to church and had 26 people there! And then after church we went to baptize three cousins. Milton, Bryan and Raquelle. It was really awesome to baptize them after teaching them for 2 months! 

Tomorrow we are going to Managua to listen to Elder Rasband speak, so that should be fun.

Talk to you next week!

Elder Taylor

The baptism of  cousins Milton, Bryan and Raquelle

Ramon's baptism!

BIRTHDAY PICTURES!!

Just a lizard that I found

Goats chillin' in the road

#Febrero

It seems like time is going by fast now, we are already in February! It seems like yesterday we were celebrating Christmas!

This week we tried to have the Baptism of Ramon just about every day! But it rained every day this week. And since we baptize in a river, its kind of miserable to be outside when its raining. even for a baptism. So we are planning on the baptism for tomorrow. We also have 4 more baptisms this Sunday! That will make it 5 baptism this week! (If all goes to plan)

Tomorrow I will be 19 years old! That is kind of crazy to think, but rad at the same time.

I'll send some good pics and reports of happenings next week!

Flashback to Haciendo San Jacinto in my first transfer

The cyber that I am writing in today

I'm now Nicaraguensa

This week was a bit different, but kind of the same as usual. The same because I was on the bus for multiple hours. But different for the destination. 

On Tuesday I went to Managua. I was going to Ocotal on Monday night to go leave for Esteli Tuesday. But on the ride down to Ocotal I got a call that I needed to go to Managua the next day to get my visa. So Tuesday morning I left at 3am to Managua to get there by  8am. So then I spent pretty much the whole day in Managua for that. And then I got on another 6 hour bus ride back to Ocotal and got there at 8pm. Good bus long day.

Our house sometimes has a lot of ants. And I wasn't too sure why until Thursday night. We saw some ants in the sink, so we sprayed some bug repellent on them near a hole in the sink. And well, I'll just send the pic. (that is only about half of them)

In other news we have a baptsim tomorow for a 9 year old named Ramón. It will be pretty cool. I'll send pics next week.

Make this week a good one.

-Elder Taylor

New Nicaragua Visa!

Ants!

7 Months Under the Belt!!!

This week was a week full of success.

On Tuesday in the morning my new companion, Elder Alvarez arrived. We picked him up from the bus station. He is from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He has 1 year in the mission. We get along really well. He was companions before with a companion that I had also. (Elder Sevilla, Also from Honduras) He doesn't speak almost any English, but he understands some stuff.

We started working with people that Elder Torres and I were teaching before he left. When we were teaching before, they weren't very positive. But now with Elder Alvarez, we have put 17 baptismal dates this week with many families! We are really happy to be having success here in Jalapa. Especially after a few weeks without much.

This week we are going to Esteli again on Wednesday. So that should be fun. Not much other than that this week. But life is good here in Jalapa.

Stay beautiful!
Elder Taylor

Eating my American Oreos with milk

A nice view from where we eat lunch

My new Companion, Elder Alvarez

Celebrating 1 year in the mission on Friday for Elder Alvarez

Christmas In January

This was a good week here in Jalapa. We still didn't have any baptisms, but we have a lot of investigators progressing toward baptism. Which is good.

I spent alot of time on the bus again this week going between Ocotal and Jalapa. I had a district meeting on Tuesday in Ocotal, so we went there. They told us that we had a meeting in Esteli on Wedensday, so we stayed the night, then they told us it wasn't till friday. SO we went back to Jalapa, and went back on Thursday AND Friday we went to Esteli.

In Esteli we had President Poncio give us some good advice and words of inspiration. And I got to See Elder Sanchez for the last time. (He goes home today to El Salvador) It was a good meeting, and then we came home on Saturday. While in Esteli, I finally got my Christmas package that was sent from home in November! It was full of American goodies and treats!

Yesterday was the last day of the transfer, and Elder Torres got called to go to Chinandega. So I will get a new companion. He doesn't come until tomorrow, so I will have to wait till next week to write about him and send a pic. So today I will be in a trio until my companion comes.

Stay beautiful,
Elder Taylor

Studying in our apartment when the power went out

With Elder Sanchez right before he goes home

Christmas Package finally arrived!!!

Nicaraguan Blackout

This week was a pretty good week! Although the reason I am writing on Wednesday and not on Monday, is because we had a countrywide blackout for 3 days! So now the power is back on and I can write!

This week I went on divisions with elder Hodges in Ocotal. Which means another 3 hour bus ride, but it was all good. We walked by a cemetery where they were having a funeral. But the ice cream men were ready and were selling ice cream graveside! It was really weird. But the next day Elder Hodges made me a grilled BP&J. It was really tasty! The first pb&j since the MTC.

We also did service this week cleaning the sides of a river. You really don't see how much garbage there is until you start looking for it.

This Monday we have transfers again. I'm pretty sure that I will stay here in Jalapa. But I will keep you posted.

-

Elder Taylor

We are the only missionaries in Jalapa. The 4 amigos
(Elder Morrison, Elder Torres, Elder Carlisle & Elder Taylor)

Just me being me

A kid that we eat lunch with every day

A nice view in Ocotal

New Year 2017

Happy New Year! This was a very interesting New Years for me. We found that New Years is more celebrated than Christmas here. The people and the TV were all getting ready for it. They were actually talking more about it than Christmas. And it is a total party here. They buy so much alcohol and fireworks. (You can imagine how that goes) The people were doing little firecrackers all day. But when the clock struck midnight the whole city went completely nuts! You almost couldn't sleep from all of the noise. All day there were drunk people wandering the streets (well more than normal) it was really fun.

At church the next day we had a good turnout of 18 people! It was the most we've had in a month!

I am sending the pics that I haven't been able to send for the last few weeks. Cuz pictures are worth a thousand words!

-

Elder Taylor

Burning my six months tie (CUZ IV'E FINISHED 6 MONTHS!!!!)

The aftermath of the burnt tie

Our house

Our place to meet for church

My last pic with my first companion Elder Sanchez